Means for inscribing unexposed photographic films, plates, or the like



B. w. KING. MEANS FOR INSCRIBING UNEXPOSED PHOTOGRAPHIC FILMS, PLATES, OR THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1|, I915.

1,851,762. PatentedSept. 7, 1920. $1 R UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BEBTELL W. KING, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

HEARS FOR INSCBI'BING UNEXPOSED PHOTOGBAPHIC FILMS, PLATES, OR THE LIKE.

Application filed larch 11, 1915.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERTELL W. KING, a .itizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have made a certain new and useful. Invention in Means for Inscribing Unexposed Photographic Films, Plates, or the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for supplying inscriptions to unexposed photographic films, plates or the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a device which will permit writing or printing on or otherwise marking or inscribing an unexposed film or plate as used in photo' raphy, which is simple in construction, e cient in operation and cheap to manufacture.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination, location, and relative arrangement of parts all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as shown on the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing,--

Figure l is a plan view showing the back or bottom of a film camera embodying my invcntion.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2, Fig. l, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail broken view of a portion of the construction embodying my invention.

' Fig. dis a view taken on the line 4-4, Fig. 3, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing a circuit arrangement employed in connection with my invention.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the electric light bulb and attachment as employed in connection with my invention.

The same part is designated by the same reference numeral wherever it occurs throughout the several views.

In photography it is often desirable to print, mark, or otherwise inscribe on the )late or film employed before or after a picture is taken, the name of the place photographed, the date, the autograph of the person photographed, or other distinguishing or designating inscriptions. In the use of plate cameras, the method heretofore Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 1920.

Serial No. 13,582.

employed consists of marking in chalk or pencil upon the plate holder, the desired inscription. It is evident that such inscriptions so made, do not appear upon the photoplate when developed, nor upon the photoprint made from the developed plate. In order that such inscription shall appear upon the plate when developed, or the print made therefrom, it is necessary to scratch the desired inscription upon the plate or else write or print the same on each individual rint. These methods are all objectionable. Vhere the holder itself is marked there is the danger of the marks becoming obliterated, or remaining thereon when another picture is taken, thereby causing confusion. Where the desired inscription is scratched upon the plate this can be done only after the plate is developed and not at the time the exposure is made. This incurs the danger of the operator forgetting the desired inscription during the time or period intervening the exposure and development. here each individual print is separately inscribed, it involves tedious labor and increased expense and separate handling of each individual print. Further, when photographic films are employed in long reels or rolls, as in motion photography, it is necessary to mark on a roll of film that has been exposed and used in taking pictures of a particular scene or locality, the number of the scene, or the name of the place photographed, or any other notation employed by the various motion picture producing operators, to distinguish one reel from the ther. It has been the practice heretofore, at the completion of a run of scene, for the operator to open the camera, and make the desired notation on a film, and to then close the camera in preparation for the next run of film. In this practice, not only the particular film upon which the notation is made is wasted, but also from two to three feet of film is exposed and destroyed by the resulting exposure thereof to light when the allow from six to twelve or more individual eiiposures or pictures, it is often desirable to write or print on ach individual film portion which forms a part of the individual exposure, the desired inscription. it is also desirable to write or print the oesircd inscription upon the unexposed film so that such writing will be reproduced upon each print made from the negative.

this, such as providing the camera casing with a slot opening upon a portion of-the film reel, so that sharp pointed steel pencil or punch may scratch through the light excluding wrapper over the film, which wrapper is exposed through the slot referred to, and thus, by allowing the daylight to pass through the portion of the wrapper so scratched, expose the film in accordance with the scratching.

The disadvantages of this method are ob vious. The steel pencil point-may become dull, and not make a clean cut through the wrapp r, or the pencil point might be pressed with too great a force through the wrapper and cut through the lil': itself thereby injuring and weakening it. li urther a loose, individual member, namely the pencil, must be provided, and being-r independent of the ca .iera, is apt to be lost, or misplaced. The greatest disadvantage enred, however, is that, due to the cutaction necessary, it is practically impossible to is individual and upon the film, without tearing tie wrapper, and exposing and spoilin the film.

It is among the special urposes of my invention to provide a unitary arran ement permanently attached to a cam ra wherein possible to transmit writing of any th film orjplate ciaracteristic handwriting,

lesircd characterislic to negative before it is exposes, without e:: posing any portion of the plate BL111 OT light eXch. as wrapper to the ivl. 'h" and withoi injuring" the film or the wrapby cutting or piercing action.

in j out the objects of my invention 1 pro se to employ the usual camera, which in t J instance is shown for illustrative purposes to be a well known collapsiblecamera or k dak film camera com prising a frame or casing in which is mounted at ends the usual film rollers 8, 10, y .l provided with the usual hole or openi 9 for deermining how far the film must he turned by the roller which is wind: up, after an exposure has been made, to place new and unexposed surface behind the camer known manner.

In the/form shown, the roller 8 has wounl around it the new or ruieitposed film, the film 11 passes therefrom and extends through a suitable slot or 2, to the roller passage as shown. in

Various ways have been suggested for accomplishing a lens, in the usual. and well 1 tached to, or forming a part of the shaft 13 are arms or rigid limbs 15, 16. Suitably keyed to the shaft 14;, and held thereon by means of nuts 17 are links or arms 18 and 19. lhe links or arms 18, 15, and 16, 19, are secured together by rivets or the like 20 which also serve to secure thereto, similain links or arms, forming well known form of lazy tongs or pantogranh, the upper lazy tones member 15 18 actine' outside of the y C: 5 7 Fr casing 7, and the lower lazy tongs member acting inside of the camera through a slot 22 formed forthat purpose in the interior of the wooden camera frame or casing 7. It will be readily seen, that due to the arrangement of the shafts 18, 14:, and their respective lazy tongs attachments, any movement in direction at the extremity 23 of the outside lazy tongs will. be transmitted identically reproduced the extremity of the lower or inside lazy tongs arrangement 16, 19.

The extremity 30 of the upper lazy tongs consists of'a point of steel or other conduct. ing material such as lead or the like, and is proyiced with a knob or handle 25 to facilitate the writing movements of the lazy tongs.

The extremity 2 1 of the lower lazy tongs carries a small electric light bulb 26. This bulb is coated over with layer of any suitable light excluding material such black paint except for a small pin point portion 27 which is so positioned as to be the nearest point of the bulb to the film 11. The tubular shaft 13 and the sha t 1 1 are of such len th that the bulb 26 is held in close proximity to the film 11 throughout its extension across the width of the film to its extended position. 7

- Suitably mounted in t ,e bottom or back portion of the camera casing, and opposite to the shafts 13, 14, is a plate 28 of suitable conducting material of length approxima' ly the the width of the film 11, and of any desired width. For the purposes of illustration, 1 have shown this plate as being sufliciently wide to allow several lines or written matter, but my invention is not to be limited in this respect.

f The plate 28 is connected to one terminal of asource of current such as a battery '29. The other terminal of the current source is connected to the filament of the el ctric light bulb which in turn is electricallycou nected in series to the lazy tongs members 16, 19 in any suitable manner. The current flows through the members 16, 19, the shafts 13, 14, lazy tongs 15, 18, to the conducting point 30. The shafts 13, 14, project sulficiently above the surface of the camera casing to hold the lazy tongs elements 15, 18, when in extended position a sufiicient distance from the surface of the camera casing to hold the stylographic device or pencil 30 normally out of contact with the conductor plate 28, but the resiliency of the elements 15, 18, allows the pencil or point to be depressed to make contact with the plate 28 and thereby complete the electric circuit and cause the lamp 26 to light.

The battery may be carried in any suitable place either exteriorly or internally with respect to the camera casing. I have shown one arrangement wherein the battery 29 is inserted in a pocket in the casing 7. In this instance, I provide a door 32, hinged at 33, to allow ready access to the battery, for the purpose of replacing the battery whenever it becomes depleted.

It is evident that when the writing device is not to be used, it is folded up as partially indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 1, into a small amount of space, it being under stood, that when the outside lazy tongs elements are thus folded up toward their fixed point, the inside elements are likewise folded up and, together with the electric light bulb, are out of the scope of the light rays which cause the print on the film.

The operation of the device is comparatively simple. Assuming thata film has been exposed, and the picture taken, and it is desired to inscribe on the picture taken, the lazy tongs arrangement is in its folded or condensed position. The operator takes the knob or handle 25 and extends the lazy tongs arrangement to its extended position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The inscription is then made as in the use of an ordinary pantograph pencil, pressing down upon the handle 25 sufiiciently to form contact between the point 30 and the plate 28. Aslong as this contact is maintained, the electric light bulb remains lighted and as the bulb passes close to the film, the light rays pass from the pin point opening 27 through the light excluding film cover or coating over the bulb. The light rays passing over the film in identical reproduction of the movement of the point 30, expose that portion of the film that the light rays pass over, and consequently, when the film is developed, the autographed inscription is reproduced on the developed negative. Each print produced from the film or plate will of course bear a reproduction of the autographed inscription.

lVhile I have shown and described in de tail one construction and arrangement emskilled in the art without departing from the broad scope of my invention as defined in the claims and while I have shown and described my invention as applied to a film camera or a kodak it will be understood that my invention is not to be limited thereto, as the same is applicable to plate cameras, motion picture cameras, and, in fact, to any type of camera used in modern photography.

Having now set forth the objects and nature of my invention, and having shown and described an arrangement embodying the same what I claim as new and useful and of my own invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. A camera adapted to contain a sensitized element in combination with means including lazy tongs and a source of artificial light for identically reproducing script or other writings upon said sensitized element.

2. A camera adapted to contain a semitized element in combination with means including a source of artificial light for reproducing script or other writings upon that surface of said sensitized element which is exposed through the lens of said camera.

A camera adapted to contain a sensitized element in combination with a pair of lazy tongs, means for transmitting the motion of the end of one lazy tongs to the end of the other lazy tongs, to reproduce upon said sensitized element the path of movement of the end of said first mentioned lazy tongs.

4. A camera including a casing and adapted to contain a sensitized element inclosed therein in combination with a lazy tongs located outside of said casing and a lazy tongs located inside of said casing, means for connecting said lazy tongs together whereby the path of travel of the free end of said outside lazy tongs is geometrically followed by the free end of said inside lazy tongs, and means located at the free end of said inside lazy tongs for exposing said sensitized element to a ray of light along the line of the corresponding line of the path of travel of the free end of said outside lazy tongs.

5. A camera including a casing and adapted to contain a sensitized element inclosed therein in combination with a lazy tongs located outside of said casing and a lazy tongs located inside of said casing, means' for connecting said lazy tongs together whereby the path of travel of the free end of said outside lazy tongs is geometrically followed by the free end of said inside lazy tongs and an electric light 10- cated'at the free end of said inside lazy tongs for exposing said sensitized element to a single ray of light therefrom along the line .means for connecting said of the corresoonding line of the path of i u 0 travel of the free end of said outside lazy tong. 7

'6. A. camera including a casing and end of said outside lazy tongs is geometrically followed by the free end of said inside lazy songs, electrically operated means loca ted at the free end of said inside lazy tongs for exposing said sensitized element to a single ray of light along the line of the corresponding line of the pets of travel of the free end of said outside lazy tongs.

7. A camera including; a casing; and adapted to contain sensitized element inclosed therein in combination with a lazy tongs located outside of said casing and a lazy tongs located inside of said casing, means for connectin said lazy tongs to- ,e'ether whereby the path of travel o1 the free end of said outside lazy tongs 1S geometrically followed by the free end of said inside lazy tongs electrically operated means located at the free end of said inside lazy tongs for exposing said sensitized ele ment to a single ray of light along the line of the corresponding line of: the path of travel of the free end of said lazytongs and means for controlling said electrically oper ated means. I

S. A. camera including a casing, and adapted to contain a sensitized element inclosed therein in combination with a lazy tongs located outside of said casing and a lazy tongs located inside of said casing,

d lazy tongs together whereby the path or" travel of the free end of said outside lazy tongs is geometrically followed by he free end of said inside lazy tongs, electrically operated means located the free end of said inside lazy tongs for exposing; said sensitized element to a single ray of light along the line of the corresponding line of the path travel oi the free. end of said outside lazy tongs the free end of sai outside lazy tongs con rolling said electrically operated means. i V

9. A camera including a casing and adapted to contain sensitized element inclosed therein in'coinbination with a conductor plate attached to said casing, and connected to a source of electric current a pair of lazy tongs attached to said casing and to each other to allow an electric currcnt'to flow therebetween, one oi": said lazy tongs located outside oi": said casing: the other being located inside or" said casing, an electric light bulb secured to the free enc. of said inside lazy tongs and in electrical. conducting relation therewith, said elec sic light bulb being also connected to said source of electric current, the free end of said outside lazy tongs beingheld normally out oi? contact with said plate, so that when and as long as the free end of said outside lazy tongs is in contact. with said plate, said electric'light bulb is lighted,

10. an electricallyoperated device of lecharacter referred to, a normally open 1 ric circuit having terminals consisting cc of a conducting plate and a conducting pencil and including in series relation to each other, a source of electric current, an electric light bit), a pair of lazy tongs, and means adaited to support a sensitized element inte between s id lazy tongs.

ll camera casing l ed element, in combination with including a source oi artificial light 1 GSEBCL located w thin he casing to inscribe upon the 52 lenient and means located outside the casing for controlling the incasing adapted to inclose a d element, in combination with for exposing ti o sensitized element 1 ial light point within the casinq,

t i and means for controlling the movements of the a tnciai light point.

camera casing adapted to inclose a 1 element, combination with r exposing the sensitized element to .mial light point within the casing, eans for-controlling from outside the e 1.; Y :i'nents of the artii ial light c i -71 1 5 1 ioi GAQOSPJ the sensitized element to cial light point to movements of the camera; casing adapted to inclose i. in combination with i casing, a stylographic the casing, connections s st lographic d ice and .i to duplicate in the latter the movements of the former.

i. combii ,ion, with a camera adapted to have piece of sensit'zed material therein, of means comprising an pencil tor writing directly sitized material, a source of 5, means on t outside -encll, and means controlled by the guiding ted to inclose means for completing the circuit through said li ht.

17. The combination, With a camera adapted to have a piece of sensitized material disposed therein, of means comprising an electric light pencil for Writing directly upon said sensitized material, a source of current for said light, a conductor and guiding pencil upon the outside of the camera, means for electrically connecting said light pencil, guiding pencil and source of current, and means controlled by the guiding means or controlling the operation of said light pencil.

18. An autographic recorder for cameras adapted to have a sensitized film therein, comprising a movable element exterior of the camera, and means including a source of artificial light, interior of the camera, for reproducing the movements of said element upon the surface of said film.

19. An autographic recorder for cameras adapted to have a sensitized film therein, comprising a movable lever on the exterior of said camera, and means including a source of artificial light Within said camera actuated by said lever to register the movements thereof on said film.

20. An autographic recorder for cameras adapted to have a sensitized film therein, comprising a movable element upon the exterior of said camera, and means including an electric lamp actuated thereby, within said camera, for directing a ray of light from said lamp over said film to correspond to the movements of said movable element.

21, The combination, With a light box adapted to have a piece of a sensitized material disposed therein, of a source of arilficial light within the box for supplying a light beam directly to said material, a pen .il, means for operatively connecting said source of light and pencil Without the box together whereby said source of light Will execute the movements made by the pencil Without the box.

In a camera, the combination of an electric lamp located Within the camera box, a movable support for the lamp, and means exterior to the box to impart movement to said lamp to cause the tracing of light therefrom over the sensitized surface in the camera.

In a camera, the combination of an electric lamp located Within the camera box, a movable support for the lamp, means exterior to the box to impart movement to said lamp to cause the tracing of light therefrom over the sensitized surface in the camera, and means associated With said exterior lamp moving means to open and close the lamp circuit.

2;. In a camera, the combination of an electric lamp located Within the camera box, a movable support for the lamp including a lever, a similar lever accessible from the exterior of the camera, connections between said levers, whereby movement of one is duplicated by the other, and a circuit opener and closer for the lamp associated with said exterior lever.

An autographic apparatus for cameras, comprising an electric lamp for delivering a circumscribed area of light to the sensitized surface Within the camera, an operating device located outside the camera, and a pantographic system of levers connecting said lamp and device.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of the subscribing Witnesses, on this 9th day of March A. D.,

BERTELL W. KING. Vitnesses S. E. DARBY, Jr., W. A. DARBY. 

